Neighbor complains about a Marine Flying his Flag...

As far as I can see, this has nothing to do with an American Flag in a guys hard. This has everything to do with using an American Flag to push a
relatively boring story onto the front page of the local news. A lot of buzz words - Marine, Veteran, Iraq, American Flag, Fight - all used to rile
people up over a very benign situation. Plain and simple - the dude didn't get the right permits. That is literally -all there is- to this story. And
because he's renting, he apparently needs a third party to do it - and yeah, that's going to cost him some money. It's just one of those things that
comes with renting I guess. If he'd gone about it the right way there would be no story here.

The story should be about city permits and not the ability of a service vet to fly an American flag in his yard from a modest pole?

Wow, you should run for mayor someplace where mailboxes must meet certain construction standards, grass is mowed from a preassigned schedule, kids
swim and play according to approval and you are not allowed to wash your own car in your driveway.

I'm not saying the story should be about city permits - I'm saying there should be no story at all - because there is nothing worthy of a story
here.

He didn't get the permits he needed. Plain and simple. The same way I'd need a permit to build a shed, he needs a permit for a pole. It sucks,
sure, but that's how it is.

No one's stopping him from flying his flag, he just has to go about it like all the rest of us do.

Originally posted by redoubt
I'm sorry... I have a hard time believing that there are real people who could hold that opinion but... this wonderful 21st century surprises me
everyday... which is okay, you are welcome to it

Thanks for the reply

edit on 30-3-2013 by redoubt because: retype

And I have a hard time believing that there are real people who are so easily tricked by articles like that which are made specifically to get people
to react emotionally when they see buzzwords instead of looking at the facts and reacting logically.

This so doesn't surprise me. I'm in FL and my neighbor had the neighbor below him call the police because he had a flag hanging up!! She called 911
over it, crazy much?! Bitter old people here I tell ya. She was told there is no law against it and he has every right to hang a flag outside if he
feels like it that is til the condo association was called and they told him he wasn't allowed. So yea the city said it wasn't a problem but the old
condo nazi's here said no. I don't understand why anyone would have a problem with the flag, it wasn't in anyones way and it didn't harm a single
person. It's not like he had a rebel flag hanging outside! Some people just have nothing else better to do I tell ya.

We live in a society where there are a bunch of irresponsible and incompetent people doing what they have no business doing - so it's necessary to
have something in place to deal with that.

Apparently none of you have ever had a neighbor who decided to start building a deck in May and still had it only half finished in December - or a
neighbor who decided to start breeding dogs and keep 20-30 of them in their back yard.

Sure, permits and Home Owners Associations can be a pain in the neck, but they are there so you can deal with idiots if and when they cause trouble.
I'd rather deal with some bureaucratic BS before I start a project than have to sit there powerless when someone is being obnoxious. If you don't
want to deal with that kind of thing - don't live inside city limits. The guy chose to live there so hey, it's up to him to make sure he's got
what he needs before he begins construction.

By that logic then, what if there is a law that says jaywalking is punishable by death. Would you as a citizen or as a cop enforce such a law? Just
because some jackwagon politician got the rest of the jackwagon politicians to pass a law doesn't mean that it is legal. Here are a couple relevant
ruling by the US Supreme Court:

Murdock v. Penn. 319 US 105 (1943)
“A state may not impose a charge for the enjoyment of a right granted by the Federal Constitution... No state may convert any secured liberty into a
privilege and issue a license and a fee for it.”

Shuttlesworth v. Birmingham Al. 373 US 262 (1962)
“If the state does convert your right into a privilege and issue a license and a fee for it, you can
ignore the license and a fee and engage the right with impunity.”

These judgements are not going to be overturned due the principle of stare decisis .

We live in a society where there are a bunch of irresponsible and incompetent people doing what they have no business doing - so it's necessary to
have something in place to deal with that.

So a free society should be free.

Apparently none of you have ever had a neighbor who decided to start building a deck in May and still had it only half finished in December -
or a neighbor who decided to start breeding dogs and keep 20-30 of them in their back yard.

Actually, I did. I offered to help him finish. Made a good friend that way.

Sure, permits and Home Owners Associations can be a pain in the neck, but they are there so you can deal with idiots if and when they cause
trouble. I'd rather deal with some bureaucratic BS before I start a project than have to sit there powerless when someone is being obnoxious. If
you don't want to deal with that kind of thing - don't live inside city limits. The guy chose to live there so hey, it's up to him to make sure
he's got what he needs before he begins construction.

Rules. Obey the rules. Laws. Make more laws to "protect" those that can't handle freedom and responsibility.

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